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16 August 2011

School Day 1 and Lemon Crown Tutorial

Pearl really is ecstatic to be going to school ;).

Well, I did it. This very pregnant mama got her 4 oldest monkeys off to the first day of school. (Gammy is enjoying the youngest monkey.) No phone calls home yet, so I declare it a success. We were up early enough to walk, although I think I regret having to carry 3 of the 4 school supply bags. I must have looked like a mad woman, and really wished I had a photo of me with 3 huge bags, my belly, my camera, and Azure wanting to hold my hand, trying to rush them to school.

But we got there just on time.

Hurry and take the photo, mom, she's thinking, I'm sooo embarrassed.

Divine rushed off without so much as a wave post camera click. Pearl gave me tight squeezes.

Aren't they cute? Azure seems too little to be at school, but there she is.

My happy, happy child. I wanted to say, Just kidding! You don't have to go to school. Come back home with me so I can have you all to myself!

As outgoing as Azure is, she was a bit nervous. Look at those hands and smile tinged with trepidation. I didn't think I would, but I miss them already.

I had the most enjoyable walk home, just me and my kicking baby. The skies were blanketed with clouds.

And the ground was bespeckled with toddler stools (too big for toad stools.)

As I reached the house just before ours I spied a forgotten water bottle. Pearl's. I almost took it back to her, because it's Pearl, and Pearl is highly sensitive to everything, but I knew as soon as she was in the classroom with her very best friend she might be okay. That's what we all wish, isn't it, that as we send our little ones out in the world that they'll be okay, despite the preparation or lack of that we've done.

* * *

If you were wanting to make your own lemon crown to celebrate lemonade days, here's an easy tutorial on how I made mine. The base wire should be pretty sturdy. I don't know the exact gauge I used, but adding beads to it, it should still be able to hold it's shape. I found the beaded garland among the wedding supplies at the craft store. I knew it would add the perfect, whimsical touch.

The antique lucite lemon beads were a treasure I discovered at one of my favorite online bead shops,A Grain of Sand. (you have to scroll down a bit for the lemons.) Everything else you can find in the beading section of the craft store.

Make an oval the size of a child's head, overlapping and twisting the wire at the ends.

Cut a length of 12" or so of the decorative wire and make a curly end by wrapping it around something small in diameter or using the needlenose pliers.

Begin adding the charms, wrapping the decorative wire around the base.

Add beads as you go along.

Once all the beads and charms are added, wrap the beaded garland around the whole thing.

19 comments:

Oh Katy, thank you for sharing. There are few blogs I keep up with when it comes to personal posts, but you and yours I find so inspiring and just beautiful. Your kids are so blessed to have such a beautifully crafted childhood. I am not looking forward to school, and it's still only my oldest. But this year he's moving on to the big kid hallway. How did that happen?

Our school year is pretty much also the new calendar year in Australia (less the tail of the summer holidays), so the kids return to school at the start of February. It must be nice to head back to school, and into all those crafty things that Autumn lends itself to so well, instead of kind of at the height of summer.

Re- the girls' schoolwear - do you choose to outfit them the same, or does your school have a uniform? I was curious, since in all the TV shows, the US and Canada are portrayed as having students in casual clothes. (Please forgive my lack of a better resource than Beverley Hills 90210 and Degrassi Jnr High!) In Australia, almost all schools (99.xx%), whether public (state-run) or private (independent) have uniforms from Kindergarten through to Yr 12. Yet another interesting cultural snippet from across the water.

Katy, I so dread the day Kylie makes her way into school the first day...and I don't even know why because she is in full time daycare...

Anyway, I read this: "I have: a singularly stellar sexy soulmate, five fiery flirtatious fillies, and one baking baby bump. blessed?--completely." My mouth dropped open and I thought to myself, gosh, that Katy woman sure is a heck of a gal! LOVE IT!